Anna Custer believes in Baltimore.
Her new job is to make potential residents believe in the city too.
As the new executive director of Live Baltimore, a Baltimore City-based nonprofit created to promote the benefits of city living, Custer will lead the 10-year-old organization into the future, tackling challenges such as base realignment and identifying sustainable financing sources. She replaces Tracy Gosson, who left to pursue other opportunities.
For the Cumberland native, her vision is to continue the work started before her, while joining residents in enjoying the Baltimorean lifestyle.
“She has wonderful qualifications and comes highly recommended by various people she has worked with over the years,” said Jody Landers, executive vice president of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors. “We have a very good working relationship with Live Baltimore, and I expect that to continue under Anna?s leadership.”
Taking her post on March 19, Custer hopes to use her knowledge base and hands-on experience with nonprofit finance management and operating procedures to advance not only the organization, but also the city. Coming in, it?s her job to question how things were done in the past and improve on previous courses of action while developing her own unique plan of attack.
“They have the lead on recurring the BRAC families to live and work in Baltimore,” said Mayor Sheila Dixon at a news conference Friday. “The city has invested $250,000 to Live Baltimore to make that happen. As mayor, I am committed to Live Baltimore.”
Earning her undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism from Marietta College and master?s in public affairs from the University of Illinois at Springfield, Custer has held positions ranging from a reporter for an NBC affiliate in the Midwest to helping start the Greater Cumberland Committee in Western Maryland.
Following this lengthy stint with nonprofit agencies, Custer moved to Baltimore in September 2005, when she became part of the public relations team at Comcast. Following a nearly two-year stint at the cable company, she has found herself back in the public sector as the executive director at Live Baltimore.
“I love being able to explore new parts of the city and see all of what it has to offer, and this opportunity seemed to be a perfect mix,” Custer said. “The whole idea of this nonprofit is making the city of Baltimore a preferred living destination and as much as we can capitalize on the good things going on and making sure things go on.”
